This invention relates to an apparatus for feeding a fiber lap to the input of a carding machine or a roller card unit and is of the type which has an upper or reserve chute which is charged with fiber tufts from above and a lower or feed chute which is situated underneath the reserve chute and whose lower, discharge end supplies the fiber lap formed from the fiber tufts in the feed chute. For this purpose, the fiber tufts are compressed in the feed chute with the aid of a circulating air stream which enters at the top of the feed chute and exits the same through air outlet openings at its lower end. Between the outlet of the reserve chute and the inlet of the feed chute there is arranged an opening roller which forwards the tufts from the reserve chute to the feed chute. The fiber tuft is supplied to the opening roller by a feed roller which is situated at the lower end of the reserve chute.
According to prior art constructions, the direction of rotation of the feed roller and the opening roller are unidirectional with respect to one another. The fiber entering the gap defined between the feed roller and a stationary feed baffle is caused to change direction from the direction of rotation of the feed roller to the direction of rotation of the opening roller. This circumstance disadvantageously results in a fiber beard of significant length, whereby fiber tufts of relatively large dimensions are formed.